Chicha Festival en Curacaví – 2014
The night is far too short!
Luke Blackburn and Niccoló Viviani nod in agreement. The night was still young, but we had a bus to catch in order to make it back to Reñaca from Curacavi.
That morning I was privileged to join Exosphere as they took in a day out in the country checking out some property, speaking with many like-minded folks and enjoying food and wine at a conference hosted by The Dollar Vigilante in Curacaví de Chile.
As the evening approached, our group began preparing to head back to the freeway where we could catch a bus back to Viña del Mar. We had to take taxis back into the valley to join TDV, so Niccoló (a great organizer) set himself to the task of calling them to come back and get us.
As it turned out, four of us were left to wait for the last taxi. I don’t think any of us were ready for what was going to happen next.
Every year at the end of harvest season there are festivals throughout the country, with each region focusing on what they produce. The valleys between Santiago and Viña del Mar are known for their vineyards and excellent wines, especially in Casablanca, which is closer to the coast.
But Curacaví is famous for it’s Chicha Festival. And guess which weekend it was!
As Niccoló chatted with our driver, Sergio, the three of us sat in the back trying to catch a few words here and there. Then he turned and told us that Sergio was going to take us to the Chicha Festival.
Chicha: apple chicha produced in southern Chile and grape chicha produced in central Chile. Both are alcoholic beverages with no distillation, only fermentation. Chicha is mostly consumed in the countryside and during festivities, such as Fiestas Patrias on September 18. Chicha is usually not found in regular supermarkets unless close to September 18. (Thanks to Wiki!)
For the next hour we walked around taking in wonderful sights, smells and flavors. There was roasted seasoned meat on thick skewers, sort of like a kabob. Of course we had to try one. Here’s Luke drooling over them as we waited.
Earlier in the day my partner, Frank, was enjoying the festival with his wife and a couple of dear friends. He managed to get a few pictures of the judging contest.
Other festivities included booths with games, traditional foods and a variety of goods for sale. Below are Niccoló and Luke dueling it out at the target range. Trusty Sergio is in the background.
The folk dancers were highly energetic, colorful and a central part of the festivities. Here and there couples could be seen dancing in the aisles as well.
Special note: Frank learned a valuable lesson. Chicha is a young fermented drink. In other words, it’s still fermenting when you get it. Fermentation = pressure. For this reason, the vendors generally put a large slit in the cork so gasses can escape. But, once in a while there’s a mishap. One of Frank’s bottles had the cork stuck down too far in the bottle, so he had to use a corkscrew to remove it. As he began to extract it, the sound of the pressure being released was beyond his comfort level. In spite of a valiant effort to get to the sink, he only managed to make it into the kitchen before he experienced his first chicha bomb… and hopefully his last. He shared that there were only about 2 inches of chicha left after he was done spray-painting the walls, cupboards and ceiling.
We learned another lesson as well. The bus ride out to Curacaví cost us $1.400 (one thousand four hundred) pesos. When we caught the bus for the ride home, it cost us $5.000 pesos. Why? Because we caught a different bus company and they charged us for the whole ride from Santiago. As it turned out, our taxi driver/guide would have been the same price if we’d used him instead, and we could have stayed longer. Another lesson learned…
Luke, Niccoló and I reflected on the short but wonderful time we had at the festival. All three of us wished we could have stayed longer with our new friend, Sergio. At least next year we’ll know better how to prepare and enjoy the Chicha Festival in Curacaví de Chile. A special thanks to Sergio. He really provided the highlight of the day for us. Hopefully we’ll be able to get a ride with him again next year!
The post Chicha Festival en Curacaví – 2014 appeared first on EscapeArtist Chile.
